Reference no: EM13160724

Writing about Abner Snopes in William Faultner The Barn Burning, please proff read and I need a strong thesis was this a good thesis- please add any suggestions

“A timid person is frightened before danger, a coward during the time, and a courageous person after the time by Jean Paul.” William Faulkner the author of “Barn Burning” was a famous American novelist. William Faulkner was born in Mississippi and he was well known for his fictional novels. Faulkner was always remembered best from his readers on how they had to dwell on his stories because it always a moral found in all his stories. “Barn Burning” was a story about a young boy Sarty growing up, learning family loyalty and challenged with doing what’s right, no matter what the cost was at the end. Sarty learns a lot from his father in his life. When Sarty grows older he finds it very difficult to be a loyal son to him because his dad has no loyalty to his family or any person he has ever known.

Abner Snopes is Sarty father. He is a cruel man in “The Burning Barn.” Abner has a controlling personality to maintain control over his family and hurt other people. Abner is a abusive husband and father, he regularly hits on them. Abner is a poor white raised man in the South. Unlike most white Southern men he was not fortunate with any wealth, he feels as if the rich looks down on him. Abner is a sharecropper. He struggles with being a poor man unable to provide the best for his family. He expresses a strong hatred for rich people, so if they make him anger he will burn their barn. Abner has generally gotten away with his crimes and in return he receives a sense of power for burning barns.

It all began, when Abner was accused with burning Mr. Harris barn. The law had gotten involved which this was different from any other crimes Abner had committed and gotten away with. Abner was lucky to have not gotten caught before now. The law didn’t have enough evidence against him to pin him to the crimes. Abner was told by the judge to leave town, which he planned on doing anyway. When leaving Sarty tries to prove loyalty and fighting a boy that talk against his family. He father pulled him away and they left the town. Abner wasn’t convinced that son had any loyalty to the family. Abner accused Sarty if he was called to testify that he was planning to testify against because of that he father beat him.

Sarty had once believed his father was a Civil war hero, because he serve in the war. It was not by choice that Abner fought in the war so when he was sent he found a safe place to hide until the war was almost over. During the war, Arber would steal horses and then sell them. Truly Abner was not a war hero he was an only a coward and a theft.

The next day the family arrived at DeSpains home. After being told that he was not at home, he disrespected the black servant and went inside the home without permission to enter. Once inside he began to wipe his feet on a very expensive rug with horse manure causing the rug to stain. Abner shows no empathy or remorse for his action. He carries this type of attitude thru out the story. Despain brings him the damaged white rug with horse manure and directs his daughter in washing it and then to return it. This angers Abner because he feels that he thinks he so rich that his black servants are not good enough to clean it but to mix it with some white sweat. He goes against he wife wishes on letting her clean the rug and he worsen the rug where is totally damaged. He later returns the rug to and upset Despain by showing him his rug being in worst condition then it was left in. After seeing this Despain charges him twenty bushel of corn for the damage that he has caused. This upset Abner so he decided to take Despain to court.

Later on that night Abner decided to burn Despain barn. Sarty ask if he can warn him because he doesn’t think this the right way to handle it. He begged his father not to burn the burn. Abner was very concern Sarty might tell so he orders his wife to hold him back and not let him go, that if she did he would tell and she knows what would happen if he did. She tries to hold him back but she is unable to he runs and tells Despain that the barn is in trouble. Despain go out to see what wrong. Despain leaves him behind as he is on his horse and he hear two gunshots are fired. Sarty is in distress he believes Despain may have killed his father and his brother and he is to blame. Sarty begins to wonder at that moment, did he make the right decision.

In conclusion, I believe Sarty did make the right choice. His father Abner was at an uncontrollable point, the whole family asked him to stop and to change his ways but he refused. Abner was verbally and physically abusive to everyone he came in contact with. He was a very headstrong man whom was not loyal to anyone. His jealously toward the rich would take him to his final resting place. I can only image the emotions his son Sarty was feeling. I am sure he was confused on rather he should have kept quite and he father and brother would still be alive and if telling Despain was the smartest thing to do. I think Sarty knew in his heart right and wrong, but he knew this time he most act to do something about it.